LIFE IS SO GREAT, I AM LEARNING TO LOVE LIFE MORE AND MORE EVERY DAY. NOT TO MENTION I AM LEARNING TO LOVE LEARNING. I DON'T THINK THAT HAS EVER HAPPENED BEFORE.

heia!

Well hello again from trondheim!  This week has gone so fast but it was so nice to hear from you!

I am way bummed that I am missing thanksgiving, but it is not all lost. The senior mission couple here in the ward from Utah are putting on an activity for the ward which will involve thanksgiving dinner.  So at least I get some turkey!

The Holidays are really crazy here.  They have starting bringing out the Chirstmas soda (Jule Brus) and the ginger cookies (pepperkaker) which only come out in the stores during the Christmas season.  they do all of the unpacking of gifts and stuff on christmas eve here and all of there main traditions on christmas eve.  I have never experienced it though, so we will just have to wait and see.

Things are changing like crazy here, we had a ton of snow, like a foot and a half.  It is only light from like 9 to 3 right now.  We aren't even in the middle of it yet either. 

This past week has been crazy!  The work has exploded here in the North!  We have 11 baptismal dates in our zone and we have 8 of them in our district!  So we have just been so blessed here.  The elders have 3 dates, we have one, the sisters in trondheim have one, and then the sisters in Ålesund have 3 as well!  

Our new guy that we are working with is from the Bergen area and just has the most legit bergensk dialect out there.  I feel like I am back in bergen ever time I am with him.  We met him last week on the street and we have now taught him twice.  He really likes the message of the restoration.   So we are working toward a baptismal date of January 25th!  So hopefully we can move forward and help him come forward with his faith.

Other than that we had a crazy beach party activity with the youth in which we had 16 non members there!  We only had like 7 members there to, so it was just a missionaries heaven.  The work has such potential here and everywhere in the world.  I think it is just the coolest thing to get to be a part of it.  M and S are both getting a lot of attention and love here.  But of course that is never enough.  S now has a calling with the young men as a teacher and M is working on the sacrament.

Life is so great, I am learning to love life more and more every day.  Not to mention I am learning to love learning.  I don't think that has ever happened before haha.  But life is great.  Got to love it.

Jeg elsker deg!

Eldste Jones

IT WAS JUST A TON OF SMALL MIRACLES ON A DAILY BASIS FOR US. THE LORD HAS BEEN SO ACTIVE IN OUR WORK, AND ALWAYS HAS BEEN. WE JUST HAVE TO CHOOSE TO WORK WITH HIM.

Heia!  Så fint å høre fra dere!

So good to hear about things back there!  I am so happy to hear that things are going well and that people are growing!

Det har vært en kjempe uke har!  Ya its been a crazy good week here in Trondheim.  M got baptized and confirmed!  It is so great!  We have been so blessed here!

So yep, it is hard to really write all about the baptism, we had a good number of people there, maybe about 30 or so. It was about the same number as S's (Dallin's first baptism a couple months ago) baptism actually.  It was pretty cool though because I had S as a witness to the baptism of M!  That was just crazy to see him taking part in the salvation of others already!  So that was amazing.  Everyone was so awesome and it really was just a nice, smooth service.  No real problems or events.  So I was very happy!  

It did however take a lot to plan out and stuff.  We worked on the program forever trying to get people to do stuff and to involve the ward in the best way possible.  So there were many stressful telephone calls made trying to get people involved, but it worked out in the end.  

Other than that we had Elder J that came into the land!  He is from Utah.  He is 18 and is looking like he is going to be a great elder.  He has been really blessed with the language and will progress very quickly I believe.  So I am way excited to be working with him.  It will be very easy to work with him! 

It was weird to see the other Elders go, definitely weird to get the responsibility of the zone on my shoulders too.  But that only lasted a couple hours until elder S got here.  I am way excited to work him as well.  He is a great missionary and I am privileged to get to work with him in this calling.  He is going to really change the look of the zone!  

I think that we have some exciting times ahead of us.  We are going to have 6 weeks that we are going to be pushing for a lot of baptisms in the the zone.  So I am really excited to see the lord work in our lives.

Other than that we had some good moments out on the streets with people.  I think I had the best contact ever the other night when I had a man thinking I was actually from norway!  I asked him how long he had been in trondheim and then he asked me where I came from.  He thought I was Norwegian!  I asked him to guess after I told him I wasn't from here and he couldn't guess at all where I was from.  So that was a pretty good high point for my language!  It has happened a couple times before but I have never really convinced someone that I was norwegian.  So that was way sick!  I feel a little bad though because I am confusing Elder J

a little bit with the dialect. He is doing good with it though.

Other than that it was just a ton of small miracles on a daily basis for us.  The Lord has been so active in our work, and always has been.  We just have to choose to work with him.  It was a great week, probably the best on the mission thus far.  So hopefully the trend continues!  Some might say that is downhill because I am over the year mark but I guess I would say that I am only looking upward!  

I really love everything about the mission and life.  We are blessed to be a part of this wonderful plan, no matter what is happening here and now!

Jeg elsker deg!

Din sønn,

Eldste Jones

I AM SO THANKFUL FOR THE OPPORTUNITY TO BE HERE IN NORWAY AS A SERVANT OF THE LORD.

Heia!

Thanks so much for the video!  That was way cute! She is getting so old, it is so weird!  It sounds like things are still moving along there, it is funny how time never stops!

This week has been super surprising.  Transfers came and it looks like I will be staying here in Trondheim!  I will also be training again!  Elder N will be traveling to Romerike, Elder L will travel to Stavanger, and Elder S will stay here.  My new companion will be Elder J.  I have no idea who he is, but I will be meeting him on Wednesday.  I will be working with Elder S as zone leader.  He will be taking over the position of district leader here in Trondheim though, I will be serving a the senior zone leader now.  So that has been a pretty interesting change!  I thought for sure I was heading into the east and would be working with one of the zone leaders there in the east, luckily I have the opportunity to stay here in Trondheim!  This means that I will be able to gain a perfect Trøndersk dialect!

The topics of dialects here in the mission is kind of weird.  I think I am one of two Americans that are currently speaking dialect.  There are several Norwegians here in the mission that speak dialect but it is really rare to have an American do it.  I don't have it perfect yet, it is still a mixture of the Narvik dialect and the dialect here in Trondheim.  But I am way happy now that I can learn it perfectly!  So that was way good to hear!

The other stuff is going well.  Masoud is doing great!  The baptism is definitely on for Saturday!  We are really bumped that Elder N won't be with us!  But it will be good for Elder J to come into the first week with a baptism.  We went to B's house for dinner with M and went to a couple church activities with him to.

Elder L and I had our Zone Leader training for all of our missionaries this last week as well.  So we had the whole north zone at our apartment on Thursday night after our meeting that day.  It is really weird to have these kind of meetings be under my direction now. It is good though to learn and grow in that capacity!  I feel like I learn so much every single time about being a leader and about how the Lord helps qualify you to be a leader.  He has helped me so much, it really is the most amazing experience to just see him take over your lesson or meeting and teach the things that the people need.  I really am so blessed to be his servant here in Trondheim.

It is really weird to be hitting my year mark this week, I am not really sure what to think.  I can't believe that I will be on the down slope of the experience here.  It is even weirder because Elder D is leaving for home the same day!  So yep, things once again are changing here in the mission.

As far as the recorder goes I would love to have one.  That would help a lot with learning the dialect here to.  Unfortunately the next moves will be December 20, so if you want to send a package and get it to me before Christmas it would probably be best before that day!  Other than that I would love some socks!  Just normal dress ones would be great!  Other than that I am doing great.  I got a new winter coat, but I am wondering if you want me to send the old ones back home? Let me know!

I am so thankful for the opportunity to be here in Norway as the a servant of the Lord.  I have been given a great opportunity to succeed, learn and grow!  I have loved Jacob 5 recently.  It really teaches us about faith and our potential on a personal level.  I have realized that it teaches us that we can be bearing good fruit no matter where we are planted; whether it is good ground, poor ground, or the worst ground.  The lord gives us all the equal nourishment.  That means that we are the ones that decide if we are going to take what we are given and succeed or not. 

Also maybe a little more of a general note, the last thing the lord does before he says the harvest is done is he calls for servants in the field!  I think we are seeing that come into fulfillment here as we speak! 

The church is true!

Jeg elsker deg!

Eldste Jones

Heia!

 

Things are always the same it seems like!  Always something going off plan haha

 

This past week can probably fit under that same description.  We didn't really have a lot of things go to plan.  We didn't meet with anyone really.  Both of the guys we met last week couldn't met this week and have pretty much kebabed us. (Being kebabed means that someone doesn't show up to an appointment.  In the old days of the mission if someone didn't show up for an appointment missionaries would go and buy a kebab)  So that was kind of disappointing.  It is okay though, because we still had things to do and people to meet with!

 

Mission Leadership Council was great.  It was a good day for travel, went quickly to Oslo and then back up here!  It was a good experience to learn from president as always and a good opportunity to see other missionaries. I had a pretty scary moment though during the council.  I was called on to demonstrate how to get a referral from a member.  I had to do that in front of all the Zone leaders and assistants and President.  Luckily I had Elder Weaver as my comp. who did a great job.  So I don't think I embarrassed myself to badly haha. 

 

We met with M once last week.  It was right after Church.  We basically went through the Baptismal questions with him, and talked about how he has grown.  It is really amazing to see the growth that comes to people as they come closer to the Lord.  The Lord can really change people and help them in their lives.  It is a power that I have seen over and over on my mission.  A good number of times in myself.  I have come to love obedience and our father in heaven.  As we better understand our relationship to our father in heaven it becomes easier to follow his commandments and be the person you are meant to be.

 

So ya, we locked down M's baptismal date for the 16th.  That means that most likely I will leave 3 days before it.  We still haven't heard what is going on for transfers, but I still have a feeling like I will be leaving.  We find out Sunday.  There are two ways it could go, either it will be really dramatic or absolutely anti-climatic.  So we shall see haha. 

 

You asked how it feels to have success... well I think it might just be easier to describe how it feels to be a missionary/servant of the Lord.  Well none of these are really easy to describe.  I think I could steal some words from Elder Kearon, 'Glorious!'  That is the best way to describe the feelings in general. 

 

I know I am the Lords servant and that all things given to me are given for my good.  All experiences are to bring people closer to their savior and redeemer.  I know that he lives and loves us.  He plays a real, active role in everyday life. He has power in all things, even when we don't.  He is mighty to save, every single person. 

 

I think the best way to describe how it feels really is just to read Alma 26.  That does my feelings justice I think.

 

Anyways I have to run,

 

Jeg elsker deg!

Eldste Jones